


The College Experience (Not updating, read recent chapter)

by orphan_account



Category: GoopCast, Lunch Club, SMPLive, Video Blogging RPF, podcast - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Basically the origin of lunch club, Best Friends, College, Cooper is a video game nerd, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Origin Story, Other, Panic Attacks, Schlatt has anxiety, Schlatt is tired, Sleep Deprivation, Ted is just himself, This is an AU, but he's dumb and clueless, carson is loud, charlie is chaotic, connor is kinda mean, no shipping between the boys!!, noah is spooky, schlatt is done, ships changed to only ted+madi due to drama <3, the college isn't real!, travis is chill af
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22935034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After Schlatt is accepted into college, he is moved into a dorm and is forced to socialise with others. He soon realises how important friendship is.
Relationships: Madi | madimakesmusica/Ted Nivison, Only friendship between the boys !!
Comments: 24
Kudos: 113





	1. Moving In

**Author's Note:**

> This is purely fiction. I mean no harm by writing this!! <3 there is only shipping for real relationships/people who are okay with it. That's all <3

Schlatt had tried hard to get into a big name college, as his father had. He studied hard, as hard as humanly possible and he had still failed the entrance exam. No acceptance letter had come from Harvard. That seemed to only happen in movies. The only college that had accepted Schlatt was just outside of Cooperstown; Willow Park College. He felt okay with it, but he saw how his mothers face had fallen when he had told her that was the school that accepted him. Willow Park had a lot of stuff going on, they held a mass-dinner every Friday and had free counselling on campus. Not to mention the countless mental health days the school allowed. Schlatt knew this was probably the best treatment he could be getting when it came to Cooperstown. The town itself wasn't bad, it was the people inside that had dwindled Schlatt's thoughts. He had very few friends, and even those who stuck with him through the hardships in his life weren't around very much. Connor was one of those, sure they still talked and Schlatt considered him his best friend, but when was the last time they had sat down and actually had a chat? Schlatt couldn't even remember. But Schlatt's highschool experience is what really proved Schlatt that the people in this town were full of shit. He had tried to move past it after graduating but he couldn't help but overthink of what he could've done to make his piers like him. He must've looked at them funny or something, or maybe he just had a bad bone in his body to make people hate him. He couldn't exactly tell which one it was but he assumed it was the latter. 

But he was still alive and kicking, so I guess that was a nice 'Fuck you' to his bullies. He had never really noticed how badly the bullying had affected him till he had laid his bed for almost a week straight during the summer. Life was after him like it had a bounty, but he always clapped back with his own plan. 

That's all Schlatt could think about while he was driving, now parked in front of Willow Park College, the College that was meant to be his 'upbringing', as his mother as said. Schlatt looked at the one-story building, his face void of any emotion. He had to get all of his shit out of his car and into a dorm, which sounded easy but Schlatt didn't even feel like moving at the moment. Schlatt would've prefered to be asleep right now but Schlatt couldn't always get what he wanted. With a short huff, Schlatt pushed his car door open and got out, taking a deep breath in. His chest felt tighter than normal like someone had sat on it and wasn't getting up. He felt Lightheaded and out of the norm, but only for that moment. Schlatt took a second, inhaling deeply before exhaling with his eyes closed. He put a hand towards his chest before letting it fall to his side as he walked to his trunk, opening it to reveal his very few belongings. After his father had kicked the bucket, his mother insisted on moving constantly so it was better to be light rather than having the left stuff behind. Schlatt grabbed his navy backpack and slipped it on, the heavyweight barely registering as he picked up one of the boxes in his trunk. He didn't know what was in the other, his mother had packed it so it could've simply been junk. Eh, he'd get it later. Schlatt balanced the box in one of his arms and used his elbow to close the trunk, slamming it and testing it to make sure it had closed. Once reassured it had closed, Schlatt started to trek up to the building. He had barely registered the cold weather of January till he had caught a glimpse of the snow that scattered the ground. How had he missed that? He must've been really out of it. Schlatt rolled his eyes but kept on walking, his boots keeping him upright rather than slipping and sliding. Schlatt pushed open the door, peaking over the box to reveal a young woman, probably in her mid-twenties, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. She was quite pretty but she looked like the type of person that would rather spend her day at work rather than spend time with her significant other. Upon hearing the door slam shut, she looked up. ''Oh hello, sir!'' She greeted, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. ''Hello, ma'am. I'm supposed to be moving in today.'' Schlatt said, walking up to the desk and placing the box down so he could get his information. ''Oh, you must be Jason!'' Her smile grew wider. ''Uh... Yeah. How'd you know?'' He asked, cringing at her calling him Jason. ''We don't have many people moving in this year.'' She said as she typed. ''But, just to make sure, can I see your ID?''

Schlatt nodded and pulled his wallet out of his pocket, flicking through and grabbing his ID. He handed it back to the other and waited. ''Thank you,'' She muttered as she looked over the ID before getting up and walking towards a room in the back. Schlatt picked at his cuticles as he waited, only looking up when he heard the chair creak from her sitting down. The woman handed his ID back to him along with a silver key with '2-D' attached to it. He grabbed both and nodded towards her. ''It was nice to meet you.'' He said as he leaned down to grab his box. ''You too, hon.'' She smiled once more as Schlatt walked away and towards the elevator. Schlatt pressed the up button and waited, tapping his foot to a song that played in his head. The elevator dinged loudly, causing Schlatt to look up. Schlatt entered the elevator, getting the same tight feeling as before as the elevator doors closed and he was brought up. Elevators were not his favourite thing in the entire world if he had to point fingers. Schlatt bolted off the elevator as the doors opened, glancing back at the death trap with a glare before looking at his key and back up towards the halls. Schlatt glanced at the dorm number he was in front of, Twenty dash D. Schlatt looked at the number after that, Nineteen dash D. Schlatt made a beeline down the hallway, watching as the numbers became lower and lower till Schlatt had finally reached his door. He placed the box down next to it and grabbed the key, attempting to slide it into the slot only for it to completely reject his attempt. Schlatt flipped the key, which fixed the problem and twisted it. Schlatt took the key out and opened the door to reveal a nicely sized living area. Schlatt had required that there be separate rooms, which will add to his debt but Schlatt liked the privacy. There was a couch sitting in front of a small TV on an Amazon box, a paper plate with half-eaten rice and dumplings sitting next to the TV. Schlatt grimaced at the sight of it, knowing that it was probably a day or two old at that point. Next to the couch was an opened mini-fridge, a single unopened beer can stood tall on the top shelf. Schlatt pushed his box into the dorm with his foot and closed the door behind himself. Schlatt walked up to the mini-fridge and closed the door, now noticing a trash bin in the corner of the room. Schlatt grabbed the rice and dumplings and threw them into the trash can, he hoped his roommate was finished. 

Schlatt looked at the two doors on each side of the wide room, noticing one of the doors had a bright pink sticky note. Schlatt walked up to it and read it.

'its ur roommate ted (= if ur reading this im out of the house rn. this is ur room. get comfy roomie!!!'

Schlatt cringed at the others writing, U R? R N? They weren't in middle school. Schlatt rolled his eyes and ripped the sticky note off the door, crumpling it up and sticking it in his pocket. He turned the knob and opened the door to reveal a small room. Schlatt fidgeted with the straps of his backpack as he walked into the room. A small desk, a twin size bed were the only furniture in the room, which was better than his room back at home. Schlatt walked into the room further and opened the closet door, noticing a cubby system under where you'd hang up your shirts and jackets. He nodded offhandedly, biting his lip as he closed the closet and glanced over the room again. Schlatt shrugged his backpack off and put it on the bed, taking a seat next to it. Maybe he could take a snooze.  
Schlatt attempted to toe off his shoes but ended up giving up after a minute, so instead, he slept with his feet hanging off the bed.   
/ - \  
Schlatt was rudely woken up by a door slamming open and loud laughter, his eyes shooting open as he bolted up. Schlatt looked at his door with wide eyes, meeting eyes with a short brunette man. ''I think we woke up your roomie.'' He said with a small smirk and a wave. Schlatt didn't wave back and instead glared at the other. ''Oh-'' Another voice said, a head now peaking through his door. ''You must be Jaso-'' Schlatt held his hand up to finish the other from speaking. ''Schlatt.'' He muttered, a yawn leaving him. ''Just... Schlatt.'' He said, rubbing his eyes. ''You must be Ted.'' He added, raising a brow. ''Yep! That's Charlie.'' Ted pointed to the other, Charlie waved again, still not receiving one from Schlatt. ''Well... Charlie, I'll see you tomorrow, dude.'' Ted smiled at Charlie. ''You too,'' Charlie said as he opened the door, glancing at Schlatt. ''Bye, Schlatt.'' He said just before closing the door. ''Sorry about waking you up dude..'' Ted said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. ''It's fine,'' Schlatt muttered, getting up to his feet. Schlatt walked past Ted and into the living area, shocked at the mess that had accumulated while he had slept. How in the hell did that happen? Schlatt looked at Ted for an answer, Ted only stared back blankly. ''Dude..'' Schlatt muttered, rubbing his temples. ''Oh, yeah.'' Ted chuckled. ''Cooper came around, I'm surprised he didn't wake you. Must be a sneaky boy.'' Ted said, looking at the beer cans and paper plates. Schlatt just groaned and headed for his room. ''Hey wai-'' Schlatt cut off Ted by closing his door. Schlatt took his boots off and pushed his backpack to the floor, flopping down onto his bed. 

Tomorrow will be a better day.


	2. Short Drive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean no harm by writing Schlatt with the past I gave him, I also mean no harm by writing him with the way he is.  
> Sorry this took so long to come out, i was kinda stumped on what the write lol

A cold feeling surrounded Schlatt as he jumped into the white abyss of snow, his body shuddering with laughter. He flipped himself over to stare at his dad, who was also laughing up a storm. Schlatt looked at the pile of snow under him and decided to roll a small ball before his dad could open his eyes. Schlatt chucked the ball at his dads head, cackling as his dad yelped and fell onto his ass. ''You stinker!'' His dad started to laugh as he pushed himself up. Schlatt knew what was coming and started to book it, stumbling to get up on his feet as he ran. He heard his dads footsteps behind him as shrieked, continuing to run like his life depended on it. He smiled as he ran past a large pile of snow, his body taking him as far as possible before he collapsed into the snow yet again. He did a roll, now looking at the sky with his back to the ground. His breathing heavy, the hot air circling his head as he breathed. He was expecting his dad to jump him by now, where was he? Schlatt pushed himself into a sitting position with his elbows and looked around to see nothing, not a soul. Schlatt frowned at this. His dad was right behind him, where was he?

Schlatt stood up and looked around frantically, he started to walk back to where he was at first, his dad still nowhere to be seen. It took Schlatt a moment to realise how hard it was to breathe, his chest felt tight as he tried to breathe in. It felt like his throat was closed. Schlatt fell to the ground, panic surging through him as he struggled to breathe. ''D-Dad!'' Schlatt attempted to yell, stammering over his words as he held onto his neck. ''Dad!'' He cried loudly, gasping for air at this point. ''Please,'' Schlatt gasped, now looking at the sky with teary eyes. ''Jason?'' He heard his dad yell, which caused him to bolt up. ''D-Dad..!'' Schlatt cried loudly, his body shuddering as he was picked up. ''Hey, calm down buddy. I'm sorry.'' His dad murmured into his ear as he held the crying boy. ''Breathe in and out.'' His dad said. Schlatt followed along. In, out, in, out. Schlatt did that for a minute till he wasn't gasping for air. His dad pets his hair gently, continuously murmuring sorry. ''Pl... Please don't do that ag-again.'' Schlatt hiccuped, wiping his eyes from the tears. ''I know, I'm sorry.'' His dad said quietly and put Schlatt down. ''Come on.'' His dad grabbed his hand and started to pull him towards the car.  
-  
Schlatt woke up shivering, a gasping breath entering him. He stared at his ceiling and tried to analyse the dream but suddenly all memory of it had left, he couldn't even remember the setting. Schlatt grabbed his forehead and groaned, desperately trying to remember only to give up and dangle his arm off his bed. Schlatt heard a crash from outside his door but ignored it, closing his eyes. Maybe he could catch another hour of sleep. 

Another crash sounded, Schlatt furrowed his eyebrows with his eyes closed before turning over and curling up, his hand resting over his ear in an attempt to deafen any sound that Ted decided to make. The silence barely lasted two minutes before yet another crash sounded, and that's when Schlatt had enough. Schlatt shot up, a frustrated yell leaving him. He threw his door open to be met with Ted on the floor; Now, that may seem normal, but he was only in his boxers and looked very shiny. Schlatt made eye contact with Ted, a look of confusion drifting over his features. ''What the fuck,'' Schlatt said briefly before holding his hand up just as Ted opened his mouth. ''I don't wanna know. Just shut up.'' Schlatt said just before shutting his door. Schlatt stood against the door for a minute before looking at his bed, catching a brief appearance of his phone. Schlatt walked over and pulled his phone up, his lips forming a thin line as he looked at the time. Schlatt wanted to feel surprised at how late it was, but with how tired he felt yesterday, he wasn't surprised at all. Schlatt dropped his phone into his bed and stood there, staring at his hands with tired eyes. Schlatt took a minute to think about how tired he felt. His chest felt like someone was sitting on it and his arms felt heavy like he was holding weights in each hand. Schlatt sighed and brought his hand up to run it through his hair. 

Schlatt didn't have classes today or tomorrow, so what was he meant to do? He didn't have much to unpack. He glanced at the box on his desk.  
''That's first.'' He muttered to himself and went to his desk, moving the box to the middle of it. He opened the box and glossed over the stuff inside. Schlatt took out the overwhelming amount of office supplies at the top and placed them on his desk in a lazy heap. Schlatt then pulled out what remained, two photos covered in bubble wrap, a throw blanket, and a small piece of paper that was folded. Schlatt unwrapped the first photo with care and looked at it, his eyes focusing on him and his brother. Nowadays, they never really got along but when they were younger they were close. He missed when he was younger.  
Schlatt then looked at his father, a frown drifting over his features as he looked at the man that shaped his childhood. Schlatt knew no harm was meant when he had left the family for the first time; He could hear his father and mother fighting like rabid dogs through the thin walls when he was a tween. 

Schlatt then looked at his mother and how wide her smile was in the picture. Her eyes shined so brightly despite the terrible quality of the photo. Schlatt shook his head and put the photo face down on the desk.  
He then unwrapped the second one, his eyes going wide at the photo of his father. He dawned a marine corps uniform and had a stoic expression on his face, his hair just starting to grow back after being buzzed. Schlatt didn't take more time to look over his father's features and placed the photo face down on his desk just like the other one. Schlatt didn't bother to unfold the blanket and just placed it on his bed. He grabbed the note and put it in the drawer of his desk, his breath picking up as he glanced at the back of the photos.

Schlatt grabbed onto the door frame of his closet and tried to take a deep breath in and despite it entering his lungs, it barely felt like enough. Schlatt tried to breathe normally but his body shuddered with panic. Schlatt turned and put his back to his closet door, sliding down to the floor. Schlatt hyperventilated, blinking so fast it nauseated him. Schlatt gave a frustrated cry and crawled over to his bed, grabbing his phone. He held it with shaking hands and put his passcode in, quickly opening his phone app and dialling his mum. It took her about three rings to answer, and the first thing Schlatt did was yell. ''Why the fuck would you pack that photo?'' .... ''What photo, honey?'' ..... Schlatt took a shuddering breath in and gripped his phone so hard he thought it would break. ''Nothing, I'm sorry. Goodbye.'' Schlatt sighed and ended the call. Schlatt had stooped low before, but he wouldn't stoop so low to yell at his mother for nothing. Schlatt curled up next to his bed and wrapped his hands around his knees.

Schlatt looked up at his door as a sharp knock could be heard. ''Can I come in?'' Ted asked. ''Uh... Yeah.'' Schlatt said as he hurriedly pushed himself up, wiping his eyes from any stray tears. Schlatt made eye contact with Ted as he entered the room. ''I heard yelling, are you okay?'' Ted asked, genuine concern filtering through his voice. Schlatt cleared his throat and nodded, scratching the back of his neck. ''Yeah, I was just a little angry,'' Schlatt muttered. ''Well... Uhm... I planned on going out soon, did you wanna join?'' Ted asked with a smile. Schlatt looked up and thought about it for a second before nodding. ''Sure, just let me get ready.''

''Okay, just come out when you're ready to leave,'' Ted said and then closed the door. Schlatt sighed as soon as the door clicked, his shoulders drooping. God, Why did he agree? Schlatt shook his head before starting to go through his backpack to find some clothes. 

//

Schlatt walked out of his room wearing a Harvard sweater with dark blue jeans, his timbs covering his feet. ''Harvard, huh?'' Ted said with a smirk as he looked at Schlatt head to toe. ''Oh, uh, yeah. It was my dad's.'' Schlatt smiled softly at the memories he could recall with his dad wearing this very same sweater. ''Ah, my dad was a Harvard man too,'' Ted said as he opened the front door, letting Schlatt through first. ''What did your dad major in?'' Schlatt asked, twiddling his thumbs as he exited the dorm. ''Phycology, what about yours?'' Ted answered, closing and locking the dorm door behind himself. ''Computer Science.''

''Wow, really? That's so cool. Does he do anything with it now?'' Ted asked and looked at Schlatt. Schlatt took a deep breath in and shook his head, trying to keep the conversation light. ''No, He doesn't do very much.'' Schlatt lied with gritted teeth, digging his nails into his palms. ''He always complains about how it was a waste... So I decided to major in it.'' Schlatt laughed, his eyes drooping. ''Is your dad a phycologist?'' Schlatt asked, trying to get off the topic of his father. ''Yep! Right in the heart of Cooperstown.'' Ted said, pressing the down button for the elevator. ''What job does your dad have now?'' Ted asked, glancing at Schlatt. ''Uhm... He... He usually does work on the side. He has heart issues, yknow?'' Schlatt lied through his teeth once again. ''Ah, I understand. My mum struggles with that stuff too, I don't know to what extent though.'' Ted muttered.  
The elevator doors opened and the two stepped his side, Schlatt tensing as the doors closed and they were brought down a floor. Schlatt was the first to get out once the doors opened, leaving Ted to question him. ''You must not like elevators, huh?'' Ted chuckled. ''Yeah, I don't like 'em,'' Schlatt muttered and went quiet. ''We're gonna take my car.'' Schlatt nodded as the two walked down the hall, reaching the door first. ''Bye, Kat,'' Ted said before leaving the building. ''Oh, so her name is Kat?'' Schlatt tilted his head. ''No, it's Kate but she lets me call her Kat.'' Ted laughed. ''Oh.''

Ted approached a large dark blue Jeep and pulled out a set of keys, unlocking the driver's door. He proceeded to unlock the other doors so Schlatt could hop in. Schlatt walked over to the passenger's seat and got in, taking in the surroundings of the car. A pusheen cat dangled from the mirror, holding a small sign with 'fuck bitches, get money' on it. Schlatt wanted to laugh but held it in as Ted hopped in. ''Buckle up, I ain't getting a ticket because of you,'' Ted said as he buckled his seatbelt. Schlatt quickly buckled his seatbelt up and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He frowned at the zero notifications he had but ignored it and put his phone back in his pocket. ''Do you have any siblings?'' Schlatt asked as Ted pulled out of the parking spot. ''Yeah, I have a sister and a brother.'' Ted smiled, ''What about you?''  
''I have a brother, he's almost five years older than me though,'' Schlatt muttered, running a hand through his hair. ''My sister is the oldest, I'm the middle child,'' Ted said dramatically as he made a left. ''Wait, where are we even going?''  
''Oh, I don't know. Just thought we could drive around and get to know each other.'' Ted said, glancing at Schlatt before going back to focus on the road. ''Oh, alright,'' Schlatt muttered. ''Why, were you expecting something different?'' Ted chuckled. ''Oh, no, no. I just.. Wanted to know.'' Schlatt said quietly, holding his hands up defensively. ''Well... Schlatt, tell me about yourself. Why do you go by Schlatt?'' Ted asked, glancing back at him and then at the road again. ''Oh.. Uh, My dad w-is named Jason... So I started going by Schlatt to end the confusion.'' Schlatt lied again, and although it wasn't far from the truth it still helped keep the conversation light. ''Ah, that makes sense. I never understood the whole... Naming your child after the father kind of thing. Hell, my dad's name is George. Theodore and George sound nothing alike.'' Ted laughed, taking another turn. 

''Yeah, not at all.'' Schlatt chuckled, smiling. Despite Schlatt feeling like complete and udder death at the moment, getting to know Ted felt a lot better. He had learned he was majoring in Graphic Design and had two cats, Tabb and Link. He also learned Ted liked the smell of vanilla and liked a girl named Madi, he had gone on a ten-minute rant about how Schlatt had to meet her and how she was the nicest person to exist. Schlatt had gone along with it and just trusted Ted's words.

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for making it through the chapter ! <3 I hope Schlatt isn't too whiny or boring, I've been trying to project myself onto him.. Anyways, leave a suggestion for future chapters down below (^= i was already stumped with this one so any suggestions can and will help me and the production for this book.
> 
> (edit: sorry for any miss-information. i'm trying to add more character to everyone, i.e the siblings, etc.)


	3. Dinner Outing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yummy Food

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean *no* harm by writing Schlatt the way i do. if anyone featured in this story is uncomfortable, i will gladly take it down.
> 
> *((no beta reader))*  
> *((this chapter was inspired by SailorAngeline's idea <3))*

Schlatt was starting to realise how important interaction was after Ted and Schlatt shared that car ride. His shoulders weren't tensed all the time and his back pain was practically eliminated. His face had also had a break from constant frowning, and instead, it was replaced with laughing and smiling a good percentage of the time. Schlatt was definitely happier but he still had underlying issues he kept trying to ignore, most were about his dad but Schlatt felt horrible for lying to Ted. Each time his dad was brought up Schlatt lied through his teeth. To Ted, Schlatt's dad was enjoying a vacation in Florida, to Ted, Schlatt's dad was in retirement.

To Ted, Schlatt's dad was alive.

And that was far from the truth. Schlatt felt so horrible about it. He kept trying to ignore it but when he went into his room for the night, Schlatt would lay awake staring at his wall for hours before finally falling asleep from exhaustion. Yet, despite all that, Schlatt made an effort and got up each morning, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, joked with Ted and went to class. It was becoming repetitive. Schlatt liked the idea of having a routine but it felt forced. During that thought, Schlatt's stomach growled, a sharp pain hitting him.

..When was the last time he had eaten? Eating hadn't crossed his mind until Ted mentioned going out for dinner. ''What?'' Schlatt looked up from his hands to Ted, his eyebrows furrowed. ''Do you wanna go out for dinner?'' Ted repeated, a concerned look drifting over his features. ''Uhm... Sure.'' Schlatt nodded and smirked.''Are you okay?'' Ted asked, a frown on his features. ''Yeah, I'm okay just... really fucking tired.'' He nervously chuckled, running a hand through his hair and grabbing neck. ''Alright, well, I'm gonna go get ready. You should too.'' Ted said as he turned and went into his room. Schlatt got up and went into his room, closing the door behind himself. Schlatt had taken himself shopping yesterday and got himself a succulent, he didn't have a name for them yet but he was waiting for the perfect name to pop up. Schlatt stared at the succulent and picked up the water bottle that was sitting next to it. He took the cap off and put some water over the succulent. ''Drink up.'' He muttered and put the cap back on the water bottle. Schlatt then walked over to his closet and opened it, flicking through his clothes. Despite the news claiming warm weather was just right around the corner, Schlatt still froze his ass off when he mistakingly wears a t-shirt. So, to not make that mistake he chose a hoodie and some jeans. He stripped and quickly put the clothes on, goosebumps appearing on his arms as the cold air hit him for a split second. Schlatt rubbed his clothed arms befoe putting his jeans on.

Schlatt looked into the full-length mirror that resided on the back of his door and visibly cringed. Schlatt felt like a bug in a field of grass as he looked at himself. It's not that he felt ugly, he was pretty confident, but he felt he didn't belong. Schlatt frowned and looked at the ground, an uncomfortable feeling wrapping around his neck. Schlatt grabbed the mirror off its hook and put it in his closet, shutting the doors with a creak. Schlatt ran another hand through his hair and went into his desk drawer to get socks. He stumbled to put them on while standing up but refused to sit down. He probably wouldn't get up if he sat down.  
Schlatt stood up straight once his socks were on, a defeated sigh leaving him as he opened his door and left his room. He didn't bother closing the door behind himself and instead grabbed his timbs, sliding his feet in. He leaned down to tie them, making sure to double-knot them, and looked back up to see Ted. ''My God!'' Schlatt said with a startled gasp. Ted let out a bursting laugh and smiled. ''Sorry.'' He said between laughter. Ted walked past him to put on his sneakers and jingled his keys. ''Oh, some of my friends are gonna be there,'' Ted says out of the blue as he toed his shoe on. ''Okay.'' Was what Schlatt replied with, internally he was freaking out. Schlatt should've known better. Ted was a social guy, he's the type of person to go up to a random on the street and start up a conversation unsolicited. Schlatt, however, was not; He was an introvert who could live his whole life without socialising. If it was up to Schlatt, he wouldn't even be in college right now, he wouldn't be talking to Ted. He'd be in a ditch on the side of the highway de-

Schlatt stopped his thoughts right there, a grimace flying over his features. He gulped as a chill ran down his spine, his palms starting to sweat. Schlatt nervously reached into his pocket to grab his phone only to realise it wasn't in his pocket. It would be rude to go back and grab it, it'd make him seem like he's uninterested. ''You got everything?'' Ted said, knocking Schlatt out of his thoughts. Schlatt looked up and nodded without thinking, his hands shaking in his pockets. ''Alright, let's go. I hope you like Chinese food.'' Ted said and opened the dorm door, holding it opened for Schlatt. ''I'm not picky..'' He nervously chuckled, exiting the dorm with Ted.

_

Schlatt joked with Ted the whole car ride, trying to hide how nervous he was. Whether it be laughing to hide his hands shaking, or curling up in a joke to hide his heavy breathing. Schlatt felt gross either way.  
His emotions were everywhere as they pulled up to the restaurant. Schlatt had seen it before but he had never gone inside, mostly because he didn't eat out and preferred to cook at home, but to be honest, Schlatt was a picky eater. But he couldn't tell Ted that, that might disappoint Ted. Schlatt frowned at that and shook his head, looking up as Ted unbuckled his seatbelt. ''The others are excited to meet you.'' Ted smiled and opened his door, hopping out. Schlatt was sure the others were going to hate him, he had nothing to offer aside from dry humour and... Well, that was about it. He was a one-trick pony. Schlatt opened the car door and hopped out, running his hand through his hair nervously. The outside of the restaurant was decorated with dark green silhouettes of Chinese dragons and a bunch of flowers, most of which were familiar but Schlatt couldn't name them. Schlatt took a deep breath and followed behind Ted with his hands in his pockets, his eyes shifting around. Ted held the door opened and let Schlatt go first, a small thank you leaving Schlatt. It was already obvious which table was theirs.

Loud boisterous laughter filled the whole restaurant, Ted grabbed Schlatt's shoulder and guided him to a table with five other people. A blonde with a bowl cut looked up from the laughter. ''Ted!'' He exclaimed and got up making his way to Ted and hugging him. ''It's been so long!'' the man said as he pulled back. ''Have you gotten taller?.'' He muttered before looking at Schlatt, who stared awkwardly like a deer in headlights. ''I have gotten taller, thanks for asking.'' Ted chuckled. Ted then glanced back at Schlatt before fully turning. ''Oh! This is my buddy Schlatt, we're roommates.'' Ted said towards the whole table. ''Schlatt, this is Carson-'' He pointed to the blonde in front of him. ''That's Noah, Cooper, Charlie and Travis.'' He said going down the table. ''Oh, I remember meeting you.'' Charlie smiled and held his hand out. Schlatt looked at his hand before his eyes went wide and he took his hand out of his pocket and shook his hand. ''Well, we were waiting for you guys to order, so.,'' Carson said and moved his head to the free seats. Ted moved past Schlatt and sat next to Carson, leaving Schlatt to sit next to Cooper. Schlatt pulled the seat out and sat down, nervously playing with his hands in his pocket. He didn't even know what to order, he didn't know what the restaurant had. As if Ted had read his mind, he spoke up. ''I think you'd like the orange chicken, Schlatt.'' He said with a smile. Schlatt just nodded, giving a small smile. In a matter of seconds, a short petite woman walked up to their table. ''May I take your order?'' She asked in a polite tone. ''Uhhh, Yeah. I'll take Hot and Sour soup please.'' Carson said, glancing through the menu one last time. The lady pointed with her pen at Charlie and continued to do so till it landed upon Schlatt. Schlatt looked up with wide eyes and gulped nervously. ''Uh... Can I get the orange chicken?'' He asked, his eyes softening. The lady wrote it down and took everyone's menus. ''Should be ready in about 20 minutes.'' She smiled and walked away, leaving the group in a short silence.

''So, Schlatt, how is Willow Park treating you?'' Carson asked, taking a sip of his water. ''Oh.. Uhm.. It's been well. The classes are pretty easy so far.'' He said nervously, which earned a chuckle out of Carson. ''They get harder as the semester goes on unless you're some super genius.'' Carson shrugged his shoulders. ''Schlatt is pretty smart.'' Ted broke in, pointing his fork at Carson. Carson held his hands up in a joking manner and laughed. ''Okay, okay.'' He muttered and looked at Schlatt. ''They really don't get much harder. Promise.'' Schlatt chuckled a little and nodded. ''I'll take your word for it.''

''So, do you live in Cooperstown or are you just visiting for college?'' Charlie asked. ''I live in Cooperstown, but I plan to move far away once college is over,'' Schlatt said dramatically, not noticing how his shoulders untensed. Cooper gave a curious look, his eyebrows raising. ''Did something happen?'' Cooper asked only to be hit by Travis, wincing. ''Cooper!'' Travis looked at Cooper with hard eyes. ''It's okay.'' Schlatt chuckled nervously. ''Nothing bad happened-'' That was a lie. ''I just wanna be able to settle. And I don't think I'd be able to settle here.'' Finally, something that wasn't a lie. ''But who knows, people change.'' Schlatt shrugged his shoulders. Schlatt didn't even realise he was slouching in his seat till the same petite lady came back holding 6 different sized plates and a large bowl. She placed the bowl in front of Carson and slowly placed everyone else's plates in front of them. She placed chopsticks next to the plates as well before moving back to the front of the table. ''Just tell me if you need anything.'' She said and walked away. Everyone started to dig in instantly, although Schlatt took his time to unwrap his chopsticks and nervously pick at his food. ''What are you majoring in?'' Schlatt looked up as Noah asked the question. ''Computer Science,'' Schlatt said and picked up a piece of silky coated chicken. ''Woahhh! You know how to use chopsticks?'' Travis gasped. Schlatt smiled and nodded, pointing at Travis with them and chopping them down. ''Can you show me?'' Travis asked in an excited tone. It took Schlatt a second to reply, his brain barely functioning. ''Yeah.'' He smiled and started to explain how to hold them.

This was getting easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out ): I honestly kept forgetting to write. I am going to remove Kate from this story due to recent drama so give me some ideas as to who the receptionist should be <3 hope you enjoyed !!  
> (also, sorry about how everyone just seems kinda... awkward? i need to watch more of their videos to try and understand their personalities. If you have any tips and big personality traits i can try for them, comment them down below <3)  
> \+ double also!! be sure to support your local asian restaurants/markets. they are suffering greatly due to covid-19. <3


	4. NOT AN UPDATE <3

i am so sorry for leaving this story at a weird place !! i promise i'm still writing this but tbh i havent/? rlly touched my writing programs- i don't have an estimate as to when the next chapter will be out but !!! yeah <3 im sorry <3


	5. not an update. :/

due schlatt's recent silence with the black lives matter movement, till he says something, i will be silent on this. i plan to write some detroit become human fanfiction but i won't write fanfiction for someone who is silent through an important time. thank you and i'm sorry for the inconvenience. <3


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